Josefina Echavarría Álvarez is professor of the practice and director of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) program at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. She became a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow in 2025.
A leading scholar in global peacebuilding and democracy, Echavarría Álvarez is best known for directing the Barometer Initiative, which officially monitors the implementation of Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement with former FARC-EP guerrillas. Her work ensures that transitional justice, human rights, and the voices of victims remain central to democratic renewal in societies emerging from decades of violence. Under her leadership, PAM also provides technical expertise in other regions, including supporting the implementation of the Normalization Annex of the 2014 agreement in the Philippines.
Her expertise is regularly recognized at the highest international levels: Echavarría Álvarez has addressed the UN Security Council and is involved in advising on frameworks for democratic governance as part of the UN's global Summit of the Future. She oversees the Legacy Project for the Colombian Truth Commission, preserving over 200,000 digital records to support transparency and public engagement – a foundation for both democratic practice and accountability.
Previously, she co-directed the Research Center for Peace and Conflict at the University of Innsbruck and has lectured at universities across the world on peace education, gender, and citizenship. Her recent policy research further emphasizes inclusive participation and the centrality of civil society in shaping fair, representative institutions.
Echavarría Álvarez holds a PhD in Peace, Conflict, and Democracy from Jaume I University (Spain) and an MA in Peace, Development, Security, and International Conflict Transformation from the University of Innsbruck (Austria).